Amazon Echo Dot (5th Generation)

Can this model match the 'all-round' talent of its forebears?

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Smart speaker £55 whf.cm/EchoDot5

Smart speakers are becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives. No, we haven't quite arrived at the point at which all aspects of our domestic existence can be governed by a series of brusque commands to Alexa or Siri, like something from 2001: A Space Odyssey, but voice-controlled speakers hooked up to the wi-fi aren't going anywhere any time soon.

Amazon has been at the forefront of the smart speaker explosion, its Alexa AI assistant now practically synonymous with the whole concept of smart domestic audio. Apple's own effort in the form of Siri in the HomePod speakers is one of the few that can challenge Jeff Bezos's bid to dominate the so-called home of tomorrow. But Alexa remains by far the most popular.

The Amazon Echo range, consisting of the standard Echo model, the hefty Echo Studio, the touchscreen Show series and the Echo Dot, has been a great success for Amazon. We have to admit that we too have been broadly impressed with Amazon's plethora of smart speaker options, particularly the very affordable Dot range which has earned five-star reviews for its 3rd and 4th Generations of the model.

With that consistency has come the weight of expectation; the new Amazon Echo Dot (5th Generation) isn't tasked only with fighting off its rivals - it is also competing with its own past.

Evolution not revolution